The exterior may not be anything special, but inside there’s a fantastic children’s section (including a kid-friendly, app-loaded “tethered” iPad, homework room, and computers), big fireplaces, and an impressive archive of former resident Ernest Hemingway’s works. There’s also a dedicated Regional History Department, and tech classes, guitar circles, film showings, and historical and environmental talks.

Trivia: Park City’s library was in existence before Utah had statehood. Originally located in the basement of the Congregation Church, the current regal structure was originally the Miner’s Hospital. Seventy-eight years later, in 1982, it was rededicated as the town library. Today, the comfy, oak-furnished building is home to 70,000 print books, as well as e-books, audio-visual materials, and free public computers. There’s also a Teen Advisory Group that helps to develop art-minded programs and activities for their peers.

This gorgeous, LEED-“inspired,” 14,000-square-foot library opened in July of 2013. It features green design details like Colorado beetle kill shelving and ceiling beams; water-saving toilets and faucets; south and west-facing, 21-foot-high windows overlooking Mt. Sopris; xeric landscaping with gray water irrigation; triple E glass; a 97% high-efficiency natural gas boiler for most heating; recycled content carpet and exterior pavers, and LED and compact fluorescent lighting. New this spring are solar panels. Functional art like service desks and benches have been crafted by local artisans. Of note, the funding for the building came from Garfield County property tax, roughly 60-percent of which comes from natural gas drilling. Way to offset.